(ATR) Enigmatic Czech artist David Cerny has unveiled his latest Olympic themed masterpiece – one that is bound to turn heads in Rio de Janeiro.
Cerny’s exhibit – which will be prominently on display at the Czech House in Barra da Tijuca – honors the legendary Czech distance running Olympic champion Emil Zatopek and his powerful stride.
Cerny, who received acclaim for designing a double-decker bus that performed push-ups at London 2012, has now created ‘Zatopek’s Legs’ – mechanical legs constantly in motion while secured to a running track on a ceiling.
"Zatopek was incredibly famous and the seam of the Olympic Games, so I thought what can we do about him," Cerny told Around the Rings at the exhibit in Prague.
Media and Czech NOC staff received a first glimpse of the peculiar, but intriguing art exhibit, displayed at the Czech Olympic Fan Zone in a Prague downtown mall on Thursday.
"We wanted to show Emil Zatopek from a different point of view," Czech NOC president Jiri Kejval told ATR. "David doesn’t care that much about the legs – he’s more about the installation, the place and the time, so he wanted this at the Olympics."
Kejval said the time was right to pay homage to Zatopek, who dominated the distance events at the 1952 Helsinki Games, winning gold medals in the 5,000m, 10,000m and marathon.
"Emil Zatopek’s life story is most interesting," Kejval said. "He is probably the most famous Czech athlete. We want to pay back to Zatopek, who was known for his very hard training methods."
Zatopek only entered the Olympic marathon after being convinced to do so by his future wife Dana, who also claimed gold at the ’52 Games in the women’s javelin. The distance running legend, who supported democracy in Czechoslovakia and was punished by the communists following the 1968 Prague Spring, also raced to one gold and one silver medal at the 1948 London Olympics.
Known for his unconventional training methods and fearsome kick, Zatopek was proclaimed as the greatest runner of all-time by Runner’s World magazine in 2013.
"He can be a great role model for our current athletes going to Rio and I think they have adopted him well," Kejval said.
Zatopek’s legacy also has links to Brazil – he won the nation’s famed Saint Silvester 15k road race in 1953.
Kejval noted that all visitors in Rio are welcome inside the Czech House and hopes they will be captivated by Cerny’s unique work of art. Some 15 sets of legs will be on display, fastened to walls and ceilings.
Taking it to Rio’s Streets
Cerny said he hopes to take his ‘Zatopek Legs’ exhibit one step further and showcase the creation on the streets and walls around Rio.
"We were in contact with the Rio organizers, but they have different priorities so I wonder how David will solve that," Kejval said of the unconventional request.
"Street art is very popular and a phenomenon in Brazil," Cerny said. "We have like 100 of them and the idea is to place them around the city.
"They’re running on 12-volt batteries and they’re very easy to attach to any wall," said the sometimes controversial Czech artist.
"It doesn’t look like it will be easy, but perhaps we will try in Copacabana on the ‘Baywatch Houses,’ Cerny said, referring to the beach lifeguard stands.
"Hopefully, it will attract people and lead them to ask what it is all about."
Czech Republic Discloses Rio Uniforms
Adding variety and spice to the traditional Czech blue, white and red uniforms, the Rio 2016 kit also incorporates Brazil’s colors.
"We have combined the warm Brazilian yellow and green colors, so we have five colors," Kejval said about the Czech Republic team uniforms. "The Czech colors are a little bit cold, so we wanted to do something more carnival-like, more fancy.
"We’ve been criticized locally, but I think when the athletes come to Rio, they will feel good and that’s what is most important."
Zatopek’s widow Dana was present at the Prague uniform unveiling event as classic film of her deceased husband training and triumphing at the Olympics was displayed on a large video screen.
Dana Zatopek plans to release her biography next month, depicting her life and Olympic memories along with her husband Emil. It will be the third book recently published about the legendary Olympians’ life.
Written by Brian Pinelli
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